Representative Payee Services

A representative payee receives Social Security and/or SSI payments for someone who has difficulty in managing, or chooses not to manage, his or her money. The main responsibility of a payee is to use the funds to pay for the beneficiary’s current needs and to maintain accurate records for the beneficiary and others as required.

It is our responsibility to determine your needs and the best way to use your funds to meet those needs. This includes shelter, food, clothing, transportation and other items. We report to the Social Security Administration (SSA) regularly on how the funds have been spent. We also report changes such as work activities, relocation, marriage, births, deaths, etc.

It is your responsibility to report any changes to us immediately. If you have a caseworker, we need to know his or her name and organization to help us better serve your needs. If a third person receives funds for you we need receipts for every disbursement. We may also require other receipts if determined necessary by the staff. All your requests and changes must be submitted in writing prior to check day. Most of our communication is done by mail and phone and email. If you need to see us in person an appointment is required. Appointments are to discuss distribution of funds, change of basic requests problems, or if you need help with SSA forms.

Our Fees are determined by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Call us at 570-617-4944 for the current rate.

We are different because not only do we manage your funds, but we also communicate directly with SSA regarding your case. We are also held to a higher standard and are required to keep physical documentation of financial transactions.

We create a budget for you where we factor in your monthly income as well as all outgoing bills and then determine a weekly/monthly spending allowance with funds leftover. We utilize spending checks and TrueLink debit cards on a case by case basis.

Your funds are kept in a bank account that we manage and we make all payments out of this account. We strive to maintain “one month’s reserve” which is equal to one month’s worth of your bills and spending for each client which is set aside for true emergencies.

Part of our responsibility in regard to your finances includes coaching you on budgeting your funds and making good financial decisions. This means that sometimes other financial priorities will prevent you from receiving additional spending money.

You can call or email your request. Your budget is set up to have you receiving funds based on your particular circumstances. All additional requests are considered, but not guaranteed. Additional requests are reviewed on Wednesdays/Thursdays weekly. These funds will be received on your TrueLink debit card or via check.

Statements will be sent out via paper format every 3 months. These statements show all money received and spent from your account, review them closely! If you wish to receive them monthly, please provide an active email address.

We will pay all utility bills and rent. We do not pay for subscriptions, catalog orders or monthly credit card bills. We will consider a payment plan or one time plan to pay a credit card off with the agreement the card will not be used again.

You can call or email. We generally respond within 24 hours for less complex requests or questions. Calls are answered during business hours listed on our site. Some associates may be available via email outside those hours, but a response is not guaranteed after hours.

Regular weekly spending may be delayed in the event that a Holiday falls on a Monday. If you did not receive additional spending on your card on Friday after you made a request for the week, your request was likely not approved. You can call/email to follow up.

Our Agency is closed weekends. We are also closed the following Holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus/Indigenous People’s Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Christmas Day, and we close at 12pm Christmas Eve.

We require this to make sure that bills come to us in a timely manner and are paid as quickly as possible.